1937 Bugatti 57C Stelvio up for Auction

Fine example of Bugatti's glory days expected to fetch $1 million at auction later this month in London.

Most automakers offer a full range of vehicles of various types. Bugatti, however, is not most automakers. The Alsatian marque typically offers one model of car at a time. These days it's the Veyron. Before that it was the EB110. But back in the 1930s, it was the Type 57. Over the course of seven years, Bugatti built 710 such vehicles, and most were bodied by third-party coachbuilders. One of those was Gangloff, which made the custom Type 57C Stelvio Cabriolet pictured here, soon to hit the auction block.

Offered by RM Auctions at its upcoming London sale later this month, this 1937 example is expected to fetch between £500,000 and £600,000 (equivalent to about $800k-$960k). Powered by a 160-horsepower 3.3-liter DOHC straight eight with a Roots supercharger and a four-speed transmission, this was the first 57C delivered to a private customer. A prime example of Jean Bugatti's most celebrated design, chassis 57467 served as Bugatti's showcar for the 1936 Paris Salon and represents a rare opportunity to acquire an authentic and well-preserved example of Art Deco-era motoring. (Photos by Tom Wood for RM Auctions.)